Radiology, Vol 194, 119-123, Copyright © 1995 by Radiological Society of North America
Blueberry juice: preliminary evaluation as an oral contrast agent in gastrointestinal MR imaging
K Hiraishi, I Narabayashi, O Fujita, K Yamamoto, A Sagami, Y Hisada, Y Saika, I Adachi and H Hasegawa
Department of Radiology, Osaka Medical College, Japan.
PURPOSE: To evaluate the use of blueberry juice as an oral contrast agent
in magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. MATERIALS AND METHODS: MR imaging of
phantoms of blueberry juice and of manganese chloride solutions with
different manganese concentrations were conducted. Patient trials were
conducted to evaluate manganese blood levels and signal intensity changes
on MR images of the abdomen. T1- and T2- weighted conventional spin-echo MR
imaging was performed at various field strengths. Six radiologists graded
image contrast; signal intensities were calculated. RESULTS: T1 and T2
relaxation curves for blueberry juice and manganese chloride showed similar
signal intensity profiles as a function of manganese concentration. Blood
concentrations of manganese were unchanged before and after an oral dose of
blueberry juice that contained 18 mg of manganese. The results of patient
studies indicated that the optimal oral dose of manganese in blueberry
juice was 3-4 mg/dL. T1 and T2 shortening were apparent at field strengths
of 0.2-1.5 T. CONCLUSION: At appropriate concentrations, blueberry juice
has the potential to be an effective oral contrast agent for MR imaging.
